


Timestamp - Wrong Time, Right Time

by ErosandPsyche



Series: Team Misunderstanding [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Dean-Centric, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, Human Castiel, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Timestamp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-08-11 02:39:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7872814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErosandPsyche/pseuds/ErosandPsyche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean goes back to WSU to visit Castiel. Timestamp to Wrong Angel, Right Angel!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Timestamp - Wrong Time, Right Time

There were two things that Dean knew.

One, that enough people watched his televised kiss with Cas that he was recognized on Sam’s campus. Second, that Cas made the world’s best Burnt Sugar Caramel pie in the goddamn world.

He was eating a quarter piece happily in Cas’s small dorm.

“Dude, that’s gross,” Sam complained, staring at Dean’s mouth.

Dean would’ve stuck his tongue out at Sam with food, but it was so full he was sure to lose some. And he wasn’t going to waste one crumb.

It was the first time since the kiss that he got a chance to really see Cas. After Team Angel won the Monster Apocalypse, the after-party was filled with people. Dean had a few people gushing at him about his performance - which was hot, by the way - but Cas.

There was literally a throng of nerds, hot chicks, and some frankly flirty guys too hanging around him all night. Buying him mocktails and the occasional beer. By the end of the night he walked Cas to his dorm, but went home cause Sam.

And now he was at Cas’s dorm but with his brother and, worst of all, Gabe.

“Hey bro, how many numbers did you score yesterday?” Gabe asked Cas, but his smirk was all for Dean.

“I don’t know. I emptied my pockets in the trash.”

Dean glowered at Gabe. And what kind of trashy bastards slipped a guy their number who was liplocking publicly with another person? _Clearly_ Castiel Novak was taken.

Clearly?

Dean chewed on his lower lip as he looked at the last bite of pie. Should he, like, ask Cas out? Did he even have to?

Uncertainty took big chomps out of him.

Sam looked at the soda in his hand. “This is your last day here, right?”

“Yeah.” Dean stared at the pie harder. What was to stop Cas from taking up with someone else? There was still half a semester before graduation, if it followed the same timeline as high school.

“Hey Gabe, why don’t we go workout?” Sam abruptly broke in, giving his brother a sympathetic look.

Gabe looked really excited, the disgusting pervert. If he were a cartoon wolf, his eyes would have popped out his skull and tongue lolled on the ground.

But it was either let Sleazy McGrabbyhands go to the gym with his brother or not be alone with Cas at all before he left. Selfishness won out. “I’ll see you after your workout.”

Sam stood up, smiling at Dean. “Okay. See you later. Nice seeing you, Cas.”

After the door shut and they were alone, Dean pushed around the tiny triangle of heaven on his plate. He was nervous.

Cas took the other seat, regarding him seriously.

“Look--”

“I don’t--”

Both stopped and stared at each other.

“You first,” Cas said graciously.

Dean nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Eh, so…” What did exactly one do in this situation? Cassie had always elaborately vowed to miss him and soooo looking forward to seeing him over the summer.

And look how that turned out.

Cas waited and waited, just watching him. When it became clear Dean wasn’t going to talk, some of the patient humour of Cas’s expression faded.

“I guess you’re looking forward to getting back.”

“Uh, I guess.” Dean jiggled his heel, knee bouncing repetitively. “Are you looking forward to graduating?”

Cas nodded. “Very much so. I’ll still have more schooling, but that is fine. My family is coming up for graduation, at least my parents will.”

And that’s when the plan was born.

Even though he had to leave Cas, and couldn’t quite work up the nerve to get some before he left, the idea boiled in the back of his head.

It was frustrating getting back home. He wasn’t even sure if he should text Cas, so it was gratifying to receive one when he was nearly home.

 _Cas: Did you arrive home safely?_  
_Dean: yeah miss me already???_  
_Cas: Yes_.

Dean grinned for the rest of the day. He didn’t have a computer and while he appreciated Friendster because it led to him meeting Cas, it seemed pretty lame.

    But after three days of talking to Cas on the phone regularly, he was starting to think maybe it was time for another road trip.

Until they were hanging at Donnie’s, making plans for another gig.

“Hey, isn’t this your boyfriend?”

Dean immediately scowled, but Scott didn’t look as if he were making fun. And he was sitting in front of Donnie’s computer.

So Dean wandered closer, looking over his shoulder.

The Friendster site was familiar, but the name Trickster wasn’t.

Dean tilted his head at the picture of Cas. With two people hanging off him. At least Cas wasn’t smiling at the camera, looking irritated instead, but the guy had his fingers curled around his waist.

His waist.

The waist that belonged to DEAN.

“I take pictures like that all the time.” He scoffed, turning his head away and taking a seat on the lumpy couch.

Benny smacked Scott upside the head. “ _Great_. You want another week of gigs with grumpy, drunk-ass Dean?”

Dean ignored them and got two beers from the fridge, both for himself.

But when he woke up the next morning, dragging with a hangover, he was pleased to see that he had a text.

_Cas: I hope your week is going well._

Dean couldn’t bring himself to be sarcastic or say he knew Cas’s was going well. Instead he just grinned dopey and wrote back.

 _Dean: be going better if you were here  
_ _Cas: I miss you too._

He had his moments of jealousy, working and living in Lebanon and freaking out about Cas finding someone new. But he called Cas on the way to gigs if the van wasn’t too loud, and Cas called him after he finished studying for the night.

Sometimes he didn’t call till eleven and Dean kept him up till at least one, sharing thoughts and...feelings too.

Cas knew Dean didn’t exactly have a home growing up, and Dean knew that Cas had good parents who worked hard on their charities and philanthropies.  

Cas also had a score of siblings, most older. He was used to doing things on his own. Seriously, Cas very rarely shared any stories of his past that involved his parents.

Dean was beginning to think it wasn’t because the memories were unhappy, but rather that Cas’s parents just weren’t even around to make memories with.

That made him feel worse. _He_ wasn’t ever around.

Yeah they talked on the phone every day, about stupid stuff and important stuff alike. Dean knew about cars and Cas knew friggin’ everything under the sun, so time flew when they were talking.

And when they weren’t talking? Dean was looking forward to hearing his little flip phone ring again.

He had it _bad_ , and that was a little scary.

“So why aren’t you staying with Castiel?” Sam watched Dean plop down his black duffel bag next to the empty bed.

“He’s graduating this weekend. He’s gonna be busy.”

Sam raised an eyebrow, staring at the bag like it was gonna carry itself out with or without Dean. “Yeah...I guess. So...you two doing okay?”

Dean shrugged. Actually, they were doing great. He never stopped thinking about the guy. Sometimes it was dirty. Okay, it was dirty a lot. Dean listened to that throaty damn voice every day for months.

He had to switch forearms nightly just so one wasn’t as big as Popeye after snorting spinach. He was fucking _chafing_. And if he was going to spend the night at Cas's, they weren’t gonna sleep that night.

Or the next night.

Maybe never.

Dean cleared his throat, realizing he was standing there daydreaming. “I just wanted to let him get sleep.”

Sam looked like he didn’t want to hear another word, so Dean took a seat on the bed and continued. “I don’t want him to be exhausted the day of, you know?”

“No.” Sam started shaking his head.

“Cause he’d be dehydrated and sore.”

“Dean, please.”

“Sore from all the sex we’d be having.”

Sam was desperately searching for his headphones, which were on the other side of the computer. “C’mon. I don’t do that to you.”

“Because you’re a friggin’ saint and you took three years to ask out that poor girl.”

Sam stopped, straightening up with a frown. “That poor girl knocked a filling loose.” He rubbed his cheek as if a phantom pain flared.

Dean teased him a bit longer about not being able to seal the deal, then they played video games and trash-talked for a while. It was fun, relaxing, and good god he missed Cas like crazy. They were in the same town and Dean couldn’t bring himself to walk over.

And he lied and said he wasn’t arriving until the day of the graduation.

He knew where it was, at the Arena, and which time the College of Engineering would have their commencement, in the evening. One of Sam’s frat brother promised to save him a seat as close to front as possible.

Cas explained his parents might get there late, but they’d get there for sure.

Dean wanted everything to go _perfectly_. He had been planning this day since before he left the last time.

Sam showed up with him, even though they were super early.

“I’m not family,” Sam muttered again. “We can’t sit up there.”

“I’m doing it.” Dean eyed all the empty seats in the very front. He wanted Cas to see him there, reliable and prompt. He wanted to show him that _he_ wasn’t going to be absent from his life. Dean was _terrified_ , but getting upfront was a good thing to focus on.

“Fine, bitch, you can sit in the back. But I’m Cas’s family.” Dean ignored Sam’s hurt face, kinda annoyed that he wasn’t going to chair-crash with him. Dean even made sure to thank his frat brother, Terrence, for holding the seat he could, but it wouldn’t be necessary anymore.

He ducked under the silky looking rope cutting the audience from the family, boldly sitting in a fairly populated area.

And that’s when he saw them.

The messy hair caught his eye, even though it was lined with grey. And when the older guy turned, he didn’t the bold blue eyes of Cas, but they were blue enough.

He leaned over to get a better look at the red-haired lady next to him. Similar lips to Castiel, but fuller.

“Chuck?” he asked, loud enough for the guy to hear.

At first the man didn’t turn.

“Chuck?”

This time he did, looking around with a puzzled air before his eyes fell on Dean. “Err, my name is Charles. Are you speaking to me?” Oh man, he was well-spoken. Even though the tone was friendly, Cas’s dad was clearly educated. And wearing a suit that must’ve cost more than Dean made in a month.

“I know your son.” Dean smiled anyway.

The man nodded, looking at his wife. “He’s our son’s friend.”

“I heard him, Charles.” She looked more bored than anything.

And that bothered Dean. He got up and took a seat right behind them, still smiling. “I’m actually his boyfriend.”

Charles’ eyes got big, but not angry. “Oh. Uhh.”

Now the lady turned to blink at him. If he remembered correctly, her name was Rebecca. “He didn’t tell us he was dating anyone.”

“Or was gay.” Charles said blandly.

“ _Charles_ ,” she hissed, shooting him a look.

Dean frowned. He knew Cas hadn’t dated in high school or in college, which made Dean incredibly nervous about what that said about Cas's experience, but shouldn’t parents just know this stuff?

“It’s nice to meet you…?” She held out a hand.

“Dean.” He shook her hand, then Charles. “I met him in the middle of the semester and we really hit it off. I…” He had to girdle his loins here, or whatever the saying was. “I’m moving out here so I can be near him while he gets his PhD.”

“Oh. I didn’t know…” She trailed off and tried to salvage her gross lack of knowledge about her own son’s life. “That’s nice to hear. It seems like yew two are very serious.” She had a slight accent.

Dean sucked in a breath and nodded certainly. “Yeah.” Except he hadn’t told Cas yet. But he was sure it would be...good. Cas always reassured him that he missed him.

Always.

Dean licked his lips and stared at the stage as people set it up for the Commencement to come.

It was nerve wracking. Evening fell and the ceremony was super long and super boring. Oh he clapped wildly for Cas, paying no mind to anyone else.

He was here for just one guy.

And when it was all over he grinned at Cas’s parents, in such a good mood he was just happy they were here. And Cas would be happy too.

“Come on, let’s go find him!”

His mother smiled as she followed, seeming pleased about his energy.

But of course he was winning her over, Dean could charm any lady. And he was working extra hard to win her over. The dad didn’t look upset either, rather mildly amused at his wife’s laughter at Dean.

“He already spends so much time with a variety of organizations, he’s a good man. He wants to help children and makes lots of lives better.” Dean kinda liked them, but he also wanted them to know what kind of man they were missing out on.

“But he still makes time for those important to him.” Dean stressed.

Rebecca just looked surprised and happy. “Of course he does, he’s a wonderful boy.”

Well, now Dean saw where Cas got his oblivious nature. She didn’t seem to understand his pointed comments.

It took a while, the crowd was big and lots of families got to their student first.

But when Dean saw Castiel, his heart felt heavy and full.

A part of him had worried that...perhaps he wouldn’t feel that way. That maybe his imagination had made Cas hotter than he really was, but no. Cas was just that damn hot with his electric blue eyes and sex hair and stubble.

Dean sighed happily, but he stopped and looked over his shoulder. “I want you here for this. You should experience this part of your son’s life, if nothing else.” Maybe that was too bold or blunt, but he was a man on a mission.

Rebecca looked puzzled and Charles started to frown, but Dean only gestured them impatiently and walked confidently through the crowd until he reached Cas.

Cas saw him before he did, vibrant eyes lighting up.

Dean wrapped one hand around the back of his neck, glad there were no cameras this time. The kiss was just as thrilling as the first, and he poured gratitude and desire and everything else he failed at putting into words for the past few months.

Cas looked dazed for a moment as their mouths softly parted. “I’m glad to see you too,” his voice was a touch more hoarse than normal.

Dean nodded, heartbeat speeding up again. He looked over his shoulder at Cas’s parents, noting their confusion. It spurred on his determination.

He looked back at Cas, feeling a fierce amount of protectiveness as he dropped to one knee.

The look on Cas’s face was immediate shock.

And Dean made himself not clench the hand in his _too_ tightly as months of gearing himself up came in handy.

“I...I want..I mean, I’m asking...” Oh god his back was drenched in sweat and it was a breezy night. “Cas,” he started again firmly, the back of his neck heating up at all the faces turning toward them.

_Focus._

“I look forward to talking to you every night. I love hearing a text sound because I hope it’s from you. I know that we haven’t had much time together, but we will. I’m moving down here when you go start school again, and I hope you’ll move in with me.”

Cas’s look softened into affectionate lines, his ruddy pink mouth quirking up at the edge.

Dean licked his lips. “I know what I want. I want you, and...I’ll support you, and when we graduate--I mean, when you graduate, I want to get married. If you want.”

And Cas was back to looking surprised, but it was marked with a tender furrow of his brow. “Are you sure? You don’t have to make any promises.”

Dean squeezed his hands tightly. “I’m a sure thing for you. If you change your mind, fine. But I…” Damn, the words stuck in his mouth. He tried, he really did. “I need you. I need you.”

Cas nodded. “I need you too.”

Dean grinned. “Okay...is that a yes?” He sort of asked. It counted as asking.

Cas nodded with more of a smile. “I want all of that as well. Yes.”

Dean finally got off his knee and hugged Cas tightly, uncaring of the clapping or whistles or a few happy cheers around him. He hooked his chin over Cas’s shoulder and was just happy for a moment.

He turned, keeping one arm around Cas’s waist firmly, his waist now, and saw Sam grinning happily at him.

Cas’s parents were a mixed bag. Charles looked dubious. Rebecca grabbed a handkerchief from the breast pocket of a guy standing near her, that grumpy guy who was the leader of Team _No Loopholes_.

What was he even doing here?

She dabbed her eyes and blew loudly into the handkerchief, then held it back out to...Crowley, that was his name.

Crowley looked disgustedly at it, waving it away.

Dean grinned at Cas. “I’m so glad your parents got to see this.” He waved at them and smiled at Cas.

Cas looked at him, then his parents, then again at him with a sidelong glance.

“Dean...those aren’t my parents.”


End file.
